Question

Difficulty: EasyPart-to-Whole Rhetorical Function

Many psychologists have investigated how social environments influence decision-making. In a recent study, researcher Elena Vance observed teenagers performing risk-assessment tasks in groups. Vance noted that participants were significantly more likely to choose high-risk options when they believed their peers were watching them. This finding suggests that adolescent risk-taking is not solely an individual trait but is heavily mediated by social context. Consequently, intervention programs may be more effective if they target peer group dynamics rather than focusing only on individual behaviors.

Which choice best describes the function of the underlined sentence in the text as a whole?

  1. It reports a specific result from Vance's study that helps support the main conclusion about how social environments affect behavior.Answer
  2. B
    It outlines the primary goal of the psychological research being conducted on adolescent decision-making.
  3. C
    It details the specific methodology and step-by-step procedures Vance used to design the risk-assessment tasks.
  4. D
    It argues that teenagers who choose high-risk options in groups will fail to develop healthy decision-making skills as adults.

Answer

It reports a specific result from Vance's study that helps support the main conclusion about how social environments affect behavior.
The correct option is correct because the underlined sentence directly reports a result of Elena Vance's study. This result is then used by the author to support the central argument that adolescent risk-taking is highly influenced by social factors rather than being an entirely individual trait.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined sentence to identify its immediate meaning and context.
The sentence reports Vance's observation that teenagers chose high-risk options more frequently when they believed their peers were watching.
This establishes that the sentence presents a key finding or result of the study.
2
Examine the sentences that follow the underlined portion to determine how they build on it.
The subsequent sentences use this finding to conclude that risk-taking is mediated by social context and to suggest a new target for intervention programs.
This shows that the finding serves as the primary evidence or logical foundation for the author's main point.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately describes this relationship.
The option stating that the sentence reports a specific result that supports the main conclusion matches this structure perfectly.
This aligns the rhetorical function of the sentence with the overall development of the passage's argument.

Key Concept

Part-to-Whole Rhetorical Function
Estimated Time:50s
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